Heat generating electronic components are often required to be mounted in association with a heat dissipating structure in order to maintain the component temperature within a desired operating temperature range. The heat dissipating structure may be a separate heat sink provided for the purpose of drawing heat from the component, or an existing structure such as a housing containing and/or supporting the component may also form a heat sink for the component.
A particular example of a heat generating electronic component comprises a solid state electronic relay module that may be located within a motor housing. The motor housing may operate as a heat sink, providing a thermal path for heat to travel away from the electronic relay module to an external surface of the housing. The manner in which the electronic relay module is secured to the housing affects various factors including the character of the thermal connection between the module and the housing, the structural stresses exerted on the module due to differences in thermal expansion at the junction between the different parts, as well as affecting the ease of assembly of the module to the housing. Hence, a retention configuration for mounting the module to the housing has typically required a balance between these often conflicting factors.